Laying Down A Weed Lawn

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31082, 10 June 1966, Page 7

Laying Down A Weed Lawn

The usual lawn seed composition used to establish a fine grass lawn is of chewings fescue and brown top in varying quantities a square yard. Crested dogs tail and yarrow may be added where it is desired to form a hard-wearing cover. For light soils and hot conditions it is a good idea to include Dryland Brown Top.

But it is possible, particularly under more moist conditions, to sow a lawn incorporating a completely different type of plant seed to produce what is known as a weed lawn. The seed from hydrocotyle, plantago Hamilton friandra, cotula or dichondra are the normal ones to select and it is the latter with which it is proposed to deal here mainly because it is perhaps the most well known and frequently used. Dichondra, or Mercury Bay weed as it is also known, is a low-growing herb which under suitable conditions will give a year-round dense green sod. It is eminently suitable for growing in warm areas providing moisture is present but establishment of such has no advantage where blue grass or fescue thrive. It is susceptible to frost damage, 8 to 12 degrees being sufficient to kill the leaves while the plant is completely killed if the ground freezes to a depth of no more than 2in to 4in.

Cold, foggy conditions and high rainfall areas are unsuitable but it is tolerant of sun and partial shade. It can be grown in sandy and heavy soil but good drainage must be provided. Dichondra is intolerant of salinity or alkalinity and cannot be classed as suitable to withstand heavy traffic. It is moderately drought tolerant and may wilt slightly if it becomes dry but, however, this has no adverse effect as it tends to recover quickly when watered. . Best results are obtained with careful watering, good drainage, provision for sufficient soil fertility and regular mowing. This last point may come as quite a surprise as it is often thought that this operation is not necessary. So in concluding the preliminaries let it be said that this is neither an “economy” nor a lazy man’s lawn.

The biggest enemy of dichondra is competition from weeds during the. initial stages of establishment and, to a lesser degree, later on. For this reason it pays to prepare the proposed lawn even more thoroughly than for grasses. The ground should be deeply dug over and subsequently soaked to a depth of about 6in, Allow the soil to settle and then rake over. A further two or three lighter applications of water at 10 to 14 day intervals, interspered with shallow cultivations, should greatly assist to sprout the weeds and help to eliminate most of the annual weeds.

Prior to seed sowing nitrogenous fertiliser should be well worked in. Apply either

31b of nitrate of ammonia or 51b of sulphate of ammonia a thousand square feet. The seed should be evenly dispersed at the rate of ilb a thousand square feet and is best applied without a “cover crop.” However, as it is slow to germinate in cool weather ilb of clover could be added to fill the gaps in the meantime to avoid possible weed take over. Sowings made in spring, summer or early autumn can be done with dichondra only and, under reasonable conditions, germination may in these periods take in the region of one to two weeks.

Rolling after sowing of the seed may help, but is not essential. Depending on prevailing conditions, a daily light surface sprinkle to keep the seed moist but not saturated is good policy, but great care should be taken to avoid puddling. Once the seed has germinated and appeared above the surface watering should be less often and eventually the area can be allowed to dry partially.

Under ideal conditions dichondra will root to a depth of 12in or more, and the runners will spread both above and below the ground. Restriction of the plant all the same is relatively easy and this should not be a reason to deter one from growing it. Spot application with 2.4. D may be impossible to avoid later on if such weeds as dandelion, plantain, mouse eared chickweed or clover look as though they are going to take over. One application should be sufficient to deal with the first two mentioned but several treatments may be necessary before one has got rid of the latter two. It is possible that a small area of dichondra surrounding these weeds may be killed. Dalapon should be used to exterminate any grasses that may appear. Subsequently reseeding or the insertion of “plugs” in these areas is recommended.

Until fully established topdress with 2jlb sulphate of ammonia or Ulb of nitrate of ammonia a 1000 sq ft. Plugs are an alternative but slow method for establishing a dichondra lawn, although establishment is very much quicker than achieved by seed-sowing. The plugs consist of small round or lin square sections of fully mature plants which are laid out on prepared ground or even on existing lawns in much the same way as one would lay out turves to cover a lawn instead of sowing seed. The plugs should be inserted in the soil and., tramped into place 6in apart.